Reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin bolstered her chances of defending in Tokyo later this year after claiming the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday over top seed Tai Tzu-ying.
Despite having a cold, fourth seed Viktor Axelsen was electric in the men’s final against Hong Kong’s Angus Long, ranked eighth, claiming the title in straight sets.
Spaniard Marin, 27, a former world number one, was an imposing force with razor-sharp smashes, clever net work and an unmatched level of aggression and agility.
She screamed in delight as she won match point in the second set after steam-rolling her 26-year-old opponent from Taiwan 21-9, 21-16 in 42 minutes.
The first non-Asian women’s player to win an Olympic badminton Gold, Marin has faced an uphill battle to recover from a January 2019 knee injury in time to defend her crown in Tokyo.
Axelsen, meanwhile, took just 44 minutes to triumph 21-14, 21-14 over Long.
Indonesia’s Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu were too good for Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the women’s doubles final, prevailing 21-15, 21-12.
In the mixed doubles, top-seeded Thais Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai beat Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti 21-3, 20-22, 21-18.
In the men’s doubles Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin beat Malaysia’s Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong 16-21, 23-21, 19-21.
